就业:六大行业在招手——无忧指数2009年大学生就业趋势分析

人力资源和社会保障部公布的数据表明,2009年中国大学生毕业人数将达到610万人,预计今后两年还将以每年50万人速度增长.国家发改委专家估计2009年应届大学生无业人数将上升到200万.     

Are partnership boards really valuing people?

Observations were conducted in three county councils to find out whether the government’s ambition to develop Learning Disability Partnership Boards (as expressed in the White Paper Valuing people) are being realized. All the partnerships practiced various inclusive activities in order to involve people with learning disabilities in public service strategies. However, there appeared to be limited opportunities for citizens to be involved in recommendations or decision‐making for their area. This concurs with other research elsewhere on the involvement of citizens in state provision, i.e. public participation in civic affairs remains in the control of public sector managers. The lack of opportunities for citizens to direct the allocation of resources and strategies at a local level, regardless of their ability to process information, emphasises the limits of New Labour’s citizen–public sector partnerships.     

Forecast accuracy of australian subnational population projections

Despite the considerable resources devoted to making demographic projections in Australia over the past two decades, there have been few attempts to evaluate the performance of these projections in terms of forecast accuracy. This paper first considers the role of accuracy amongst other objectives of projection activity. Accepting accuracy as a legitimate goal, we then assess the performance of 48 sets of population projections and forecasts for states and territories of Australia prepared since 1970. Projection accuracy is assessed by reference to length of forecast horizon, population size and rate of growth. We also examine the main sources of forecast error in selected projections for each state and compare the performance of past projections with alternatives based on simple extrapolation of contemporary population trends.     

Risk assessment of forensic patients: nurses' role

One of the unique roles of forensic nurses is to conduct risk assessments. Establishing a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship helps forensic nurses perform accurate and useful risk assessments. Accurate risk assessments can facilitate formulation of individualized risk management plans, designed to meet patients' needs and ensure public safety. The importance of forensic nurses' knowledge and application of appropriate communication and proper documentation cannot be overemphasized.     

The Ecological Perspective Revisited*

Family therapy inaugurated a radical change in the way many emotional and psychiatric problems are understood. ‘Systems thinking’ dictated that the individual needed to be seen within a larger systemic context if his/her behaviour was to be understood and effective intervention carried out. The logical extension of this way of thinking is to argue that the family itself must be viewed within a wider context. This perspective has appeared a number of times in the family therapy literature, particularly in the ‘ecological’ tradition. Utilising an ecological perspective can, however, lead to a new and less clearly defined role for the therapist, and there are thus good pragmatic reasons working against its adoption.     

Gambling on an alternative revenue source: The impact of riverboat gambling on the charitable gambling component of nonprofit finances

This article examines the impact of casino gambling in and around Illinois on charitable gambling in that state. The research targets the impact of casino gambling on one of the vital revenue sources of many nonprofit organizations. Charitable gambling represents the most widespread form of legalized gambling in the United States. Net income from charitable gambling totaled an estimated $1.3 billion in 1997. Despite its apparent importance in providing an alternative revenue stream to nonprofit organizations, in a growing number of states charitable gambling operations must compete with an increasing number of private for‐profit gambling enterprises, including riverboat and land‐based casinos, Indian gambling operations, and pari‐mutuel wagering venues. As a result, there is interest in the extent to which forprofit gambling is crowding out charitable gambling—and in the process reducing funds (such as receipts from gambling operations) available to nonprofit organizations. The data analysis presented in this article suggests that spending on casino gambling in Illinois and in bordering areas of Indiana, Iowa, and Missouri may be displacing consumer expenditures on charitable gambling.     

Social work for critical peace: a comparative approach to understanding social work and political conflict

ABSTRACT

This paper uses a case study approach to explore issues of social work policy and practice in three sites of political conflict in Europe: Northern Ireland; Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Cyprus. It begins with a review of the international literature on social work and political conflict and then discusses the strengths and limitations in engaging with comparative case study approaches. The authors explain how they view the writing of the paper as an intellectual encounter that helped establish the beginning stages of their comparative analysis. This starts with an analysis of the existing knowledge base about the three case studies that each share similar patterns of colonial histories, political and community conflict and the social work response. The second part of the paper extends this analysis to a critique of the impact of neo-liberal social and economic policies that often adversely impact upon the role of social workers in resolving conflict and building peace. The paper concludes with an appeal for social work to rediscover its rights-based role in working with victims and survivors of political conflict, what the authors describe as: ‘social work for critical peace’.     

Adventure-based programming: exemplary youth development practice

Despite functioning on the periphery of academic scholarship, theory development, and rigorous science, the better adventure-based programs are functioning at the forefront of professional youth practices. This article links the core elements and processes of adventure programs to the literature on positive youth development and quality youth programming. Contemporary work on developmental systems theory, developmental cascades, and initiative are well aligned with the historical, philosophical, and pro-grammatic roots of adventure education. In addition, adventure programs afford some powerful experiences by way of distinct features such as isolation, dosage, different physical environments, holistic approaches, social experiences, and program novelty. This combination of features often provides a microcosm for youth to live, learn, experiment, and grow. Despite the strengths in prototypical adventure programs, they remain less accessible and are not easily delivered to many youth. Although there are clearly differences in adventure program and other youth activities, many of the qualities of adventure programs can be included in a broader and more accessible spectrum of youth opportunities. This article thus explains the congruency between the literature on positive youth development and adventure programs and generalizes current tenets of adventure programs to the broader context of youth practice. It is time to recognize the important role that adventure programs play for many youth and fully embrace what these diverse and successful programs can teach the general field of positive youth development.